To honor a request from saparris who wants to give his point about it, and anything is better than the long=drawn out subjunctive discussion.

OK. Here goes:

ESOL: English Should be Official Language: others banned.

My comments here are in response to your post (above).

There is no doubt that English should remain the official language of the United States and other English-speaking countries. However, we should not forget that America is a country of immigrants, who came here speaking some language other than English. They had to learn English—at least to some degree—in order to survive and succeed in an English-speaking country, but their own languages were not banned.

The same should be true today. Speakers of other languages who come to this country have a responsibility to be at least conversant in English if they want to live and work in our economy. (Being here legally is a nice gesture as well.) But if we claim to be the world’s exemplary democracy (and we do), then we should be willing to help them in that effort. Banning their language is like refusing to accept their humanity.

If you were accused of a crime you did not commit, wouldn’t you want to be able to explain your innocence in your language? If you had to go hospital, would it not be strange if a doctor or nurse who spoke your language were not allowed to communicate with you?

We cannot post road signs, directions in hospitals, and legal information in government buildings in every language. We cannot educate our children in a public school system by providing translators in every language. But we can help people with the right spirit get from where they are to where they want to be.

We are not born knowing how to walk, but we learn to—not because we ban crawling, but because those who already know how to walk encourage our efforts.

Someone once told me that the Lakota Indians have a saying that goes, “Mikatuye Oyesin,” which means, “We are all related.” Some of these relatives speak French, German, Spanish, Italian, Hindi, Chinese, and Japanese. If we want them to speak English, then we need to be willing to let them crawl in their own language.

No man is an island, and bells toll in every imaginable key.

I agree.

I have to admit, however, that it can be rather frustrating living here in New Zealand, where many immigrants come from parts of Asia and Africa, showing no effort to converse in English. Consequently, we have segregated communities, co-existing idependently.

Why can’t we all just get along?

But we did not rename signs on lavatories for all of them, and all that does go with the renaming of everything.  We did not publish driving manuals for DMV in their languages, etc.
There are fast food restaurants here where there is no English on the menu, no English spoken at the order counter.
They make no effor to convert to English.
There was never a “press 1` for English, 2 for Polish, 3 for Czech, 4 for Gaelic” and on and on.

Mikatuye Oyesin means what it says: “we are all related”, but we do not all speak dog, goat, sheep.  We must try to understand everyone. But they must make an effort as well, and it is not being done.
We need one way to understand each other, not all of us learn all languages of every immigrant who arrives.  Prior centuries’ immigrants tried as soon as they could.  It is no longer being done in this
country.  Bi-lingualism is a constant source of irritation in Canada. And it is definitely so here. Maybe not in SC. But it will be.
I agree with Eddie on this. We too now have segregated communities in this city, co-existing independently, driving out the original inhabitants, constant gun warfare.

And our country’s history as an immigrant nation is not all that clean.  We disallowed women in all areas except the kitchen.
Blacks were disallowed in all areas. The 13 original colonies, excepting Maryland, did not allow Religious freedom, forbidding Roman right to practice their religion.
The state of Rhode Island had to be ‘forced’ into ratifying the constitution with a naval blockade.
We are an immigrant nation, but we must assimilate. If we allow every group who comes in to set up their own nations within a nation, which is happening today,
we will end in Anarchy.  We are all related, but we must all cooperate to One Nation, not a bunch.

And although our country—especially our tertiary sector—thrives on these immigrants, I sometimes wonder if the benefits are worth the crowded streets and lack of homeliness. In parts of the city for example, I feel a little out of my comfort zone as I receive weird looks from immigrants, who believe certain places are their ‘local hang-outs.’

Do I move out, or do I learn another language to embrace these different people, races and cultures?

With all this negativity, I think it best I state that many of these immigrants are bringing over some amazing ideas and ways of living: massage therapists, by the truckload; sushi, which I adore, to name a couple.

As a businessman, I feel it is great that they are here; as a man, I feel like our national identity is slipping away, slowly, inevitibly, and visibly. In thirty years time, you will find it very hard to sum-up what and who New Zealand is. I guess I have to accept that New Zealand is, and will become more so, a multi-cultural society.

But don’t get me wrong, N.Z. is a great place. Come on down. Spend money.

There are fast food restaurants here where there is no English on the menu, no English spoken at the order counter.

And Luke, your country is making mine feel like a paradise!  I hope that I am never forced to learn another language while living in an English-speaking country. I can see why you chose this topic to discuss. I can just about feel your slight resentment through your words.

Thanks , but actually it was saparris’ idea.  And it is not a little resentment, it is a lot. But I can only control myself.
  Lord grant me the serenity to change only what I can: myself.  If the country falls apart, so be it. It would be destiny.  The USSR did not that that empire was much of a country, but so be it.
Canada experiences Quebec periodically striving to go its own way. Ireland: who know there, Georgia with Abkazia and South Ossetian war last summer.  Assimilate or Anarchy.

Some interesting and diverse opinions here. But consider this: throughout history, conquerors (and colonists) have imposed their languages on the conquered, whereas settlers and immigrants have tended to assimilate and learn the native language. This is why so many Indians speak English, why Latin Americans speak Spanish, but why the Dutch and Germans and Norwegians who settled in America speak English.

Give it time. Meanwhile, quiero un Big Mac.

Not all conquerors did: Persia did not, even let the Jews return home to rebuild.
Indians from India or here: Indians here were FORCED to learn English in Jesuit and other “Christian” schools.
Latin Americans were FORCED to learn Spanish, witness Cortez in Mexico.
The Dutch, Germans, Norwegians in America speak English because they assimilated. I had a grandmother from Poland who, by the way spoke 6 languages including Chinese, and she insisted all
  16 of her children learn English along with the Polish they all knew.
Assimilation works. When some refuse, and must have interpreters in court to hear the charges read against them, that is not assimilation, it is an attempt to create a nation within a nation.
And as for “quiero” - I will not enter a place that does not use English.  I will not press 1 for English.  I simply wait and the stupid machine continues in English after a while. I won’t give the machine
a response it wants.
Give it time, and we will all be speaking Spanish. . . wait and see.

Give it time, and we will all be speaking Spanish. . . wait and see

Fortunately, that works for me.

FYI, the book that Debby suggested says that there are more speakers of English in India than in the UK.

there are more speakers of English in India than in the UK.

The difference is quite pronounced, but hard to understand.

So I’ve noticed when trying to get connected to Hewlitt Packard.

Careful that you don’t get a wirus when you speak to the Indians.

twice was enough.  Total waste of time. Wirus and all???

I’ll bet you stayed on the phone for at least an hour each time.